Drying structure



June 18, 1929. T. w, PROSSER 1,717,623

DRYING STRUQTURE Filed Dec. 22, 1927 Z6 7200201 V14 P/wJer,

WMLH Patented June 18, 1929.

UNITED I STATES PATENTOFFICEQ THOMAS w. rnossnn, or KANKAKEE, rumors, AssIGnoRTo PARAMOUNT'TEXTILE MACHINERY (30., OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATIONOF ILLINOIS.

DRYING STRUCTURE.

Application filed December 22, 1927. se rial ll'o. 241,955.

This invention primarily relates to drying structures; it has more especial reference to hosiery drying and shaping devices; and it element, with means for removably mounting the element on the form. The toe-portion of the form and the associated toe-element are provided with intermating faces, with interengaging shoulders, and with coactin'g means for joining the element to the toe-portion to insure and promote adequate heat exchange between the toe-portion and toe-element. These means, in the embodiment disclosed, comprise an elongated recess or slot in one face of the toe-element and a cooperative headed instrumentality outstanding from the corresponding face of the toe-element.

The inventive-concept ofthe present case is a carrying forward of and an adjunct to the structure of that case.

In the present instance, I haveprovided a holder for temporarily mounting one or more of the toe-elements to accomplish a heating thereof while detached from the forms. This holder is, itself, supported on a conduit which conducts a thermal fluid to the forms, these likewise being mounted on and in communication with. the conduit. Thus, both the forms and the holder are under the influence of heat supplied by the heating-medium in the conduit. The holder is provided with means whereby the toe-elements are supported on it in somewhat the same manner that they are on the forms. In consequence, the toe-elements, while on the holder, are subjected to more or less heating sothat, when they are transposed to the forms, they possess a certain degree of temperature, such that they are adapted to function to finish hosiery boarded on them and their respective forms. In consequence, the toe-elements may be pre heated before being attached to the forms and are, thus, made ready to perform their function when the forms, themselves, attain the required degree, of temperature for boarding purposes; or the elements mayin this way be kept heated while detached from the forms and other elements are functioning thereon.

It will now be understood, from the foregoing, that the object of my inventive-concept 15 to prepare and maintain the detachable toe-elements of drying forms for functioning as drying instrumentalities if and when they are mounted on the formsfor a boarding operation. I p I It11s'also an object within the contemplation of the inventionto provide appropriate structure for the purpose specified, and which structure is simple in character, is" convenently d sposed inrelation to the forms, and 1s so related thereto that the conduit which supplies a heating-medium to the forms'likewise. simultaneously supplies heat for heating the detached toe-elements.

While I have herein referred to the instrumentalities which are. to bepreheated, or kept hot, as toee ements, it is to be understood,

and utilizations and of awide range of modification andvariation without departing from the spirit of theinvention or sacrificing any of its salient lying principles s Figure l is a View in front elevation of a hoslery dry lng structure constructed in accordance with one of the embodimentsof my invention, parts being broken v away more clearly to reveal certain features thereof; 3

Fig. 2 is'an enlarged viemin vertical section, on the line 2-2, Fig. l; 'i

Fig. 3 is a view in perspective of the ele* mentssustaining holder forming an adjunct of the structure;

Fig. 4 is a view in, elevation of one of the toe-elements, detached; and r F lgs. 5 and 6 are vlews in sectional elevation ofholder. I I i p these drawings, the reference-character and vertical cross-sectionof a modified type features or undertil ' thereon, and a headed instrumentality 18 out-' 1 designates a table of the general type and construction shown in United States Letters Patent No. 1,610,098,;dated December 7 1926,

,of PatrickP. La Montagne,and to which reference is hereby maderfor details of construcr" tion. These details constitute no part of my present concept; hence, I do not deem it essential to describe them at length.

. Extending longitudinally of the table lsa conduit 2, connected to a suitable source (1n thisinstance) of steam-supply (not shown); for conducting a thermal fluid, or the like. This conduit involves a system compr1s1ng, 1n

thisinstance, a series of pipes 3 and i, respectively, a control-device 5,'a supply-pipe c, a steam-trap 7, and a water-leg 8, such as are "disclosed in my companion application Scrial'No. 43,216, filedJuly 13, 1925, entitled Drying apparatus. 7 i

On the pipe 4, and upstanding from the table 1, is a series of drying-forms 9, each hollow to contain a heating-medium and hav ing an air-pipe 10 within it and 'communicab ing with the pipe 3, and having, also, a detachable toe-element 11, all as disclosed in the aforementioned application Serial No. 181,215. V

As therein explained, each toe-element 11 is provided with a flat form-engaging face 12, a transversely]extending shoulder 13, and

an elongated, undercut slot 14:, these features cooperating witha'corresponding face on the toe-portionof the form, a shoulder 16 standing from that face.

To provide for the boar-dlng of various sized stockings, the toe elements are of relatively different sizes: For instance, that marked 11 may be size 9, another,*11 may then, be'size 10," and soon throughout the series. Each toe-element, whatever its size, is

adapted to interfit on any of the series of the forms on the table; hence, any of these forms 7 may readily be converted from size 9, for instance, to size 10, by interchanging the toeelementsthereon. j

By reason of the fact that the thermal fluid; in the form does not always quickly transmit its heat (when first started up) from theform to" the toe-element thereon, I have conceived the desirability of preheating the elements and, likewise, to keep them heater whilenot in use, on the forms. To that end, I have devised a holder 19 for temporarily mounting the elements so that their tempera. ture may be maintained at a predetermined degree and suitable, in many instances, for immediate boarding action when attached to the forms. 7

This holder or I the conduit 2,in this instance, on the pipe 6 of the conduit'so that it is subject to the heat transmitted from the conduit and which heat the holder in turn imparts to the elements mounted thereon. Thus, it is seen that support 19 is mounted on r both the series of forms and the holder are mounted on a conduit which is common to them.

Preferably and as shown, the holder comprises two companion members '20, each of these being an elongated plateand having a substantially flat heat-imparting face 21 of considerable area.

groove 22 and two arcuate grooves 23 above and below the groove 22. When the members are in mating relation, the grooves 22 form a substantially round bore through which the, conduit 6 extends, as shown.

outstanding from the holder-faces, and cor-v responding; in size, form and construction (generally) to the headed instrumentalities 18 on the toe-portion, which also interfit with the toe-element when it" is mountedon the form; p

To attach the holder-members together and about the conduit, means are provided, these being (in this instance) screws 26 extending through the plates 20, as clearly shown in Fig; 2. As thus constructed, the holder or The opposite side of each plate is formed with an elongated control support 19 constitutes, as an article of manu facture, a device adapted to encompass the supply conduit 6; it is adapted to sup'port, on each of its sides, a series of toe-elements; and it is heated and maintained more or less hot by the thermal medium flowing through the conduit 6 and which also flows through the supply conduit 3 and thence into the forms 9, so that both the forms and the holder are heated and maintained relatively hot while the forms 9 are being heated and'while hot.

I have thus provided means, conveniently located to the forms. for temporarily mounting one or more of the detachable toe-elements 11 so that they may be effectively heated simultaneously with the heating of the forms 9 and the toe-elementswhich may then be on the forms. In consequence, this structure provides means for effecting a heating simultaneously of the 'toe-elementwhich may then be on theform and, also, the toe-elements which may then temporarily be on the holder 19. The'heated instrumentalities 25 present a. simple form of attaching device for mounting the toe-elements on the holder, while the broad faces 21 of the companion members 20 present a substantial heating surface to the contacting faces '12 of each of the toe-elements. The intimate engagement of the holder 19 with the conduit 6 and, then, the close engagement or contact of the elements 11 with the holder 19 insure rapid heating of the elements and also a desirable maintenance of heattherein while on the holder awaiting their being mounted on the forms.

In Figs. 5 and 6, a somewhat different type of element holder is shown. In this instance, the holder, designated generally by the reference-character 27, is a one-piece device, hollow to provide a longitudinal chamber 28. In this instance, the conduit 6, instead of eX- tending entirely through the holder, has portions 6 threaded into the ends of the holder so that the conduit, itself, is in fluid communication with the chamber 28. The holder is inovide'd with upper and lower longitudinal grooves 29, these providing oppositely disposed ledges 30 on which the toe-elelnents 11 are to be seated, as already described in conjunction with the manner of mounting the toe-elements 11 on the holder 19. Out standing from the opposite sides of the holder 27 are headed instrumentalities 31 similar to the elements 25 on the holder 19. This type of holder may, in some instances, have practical advantages over the one previously described, in that, in the first place, it comprises single casting, and, in the second place, the chamber 28 permits the thermal fluid to have a more direct action on the holder to heat it than may be possible in the type of holder 19, where the heat of the thermal fluid is first effective on the walls of the conduit 6 and these, in turn, impart heat to the members 21 of the holder.

In practical use of this structure, it has been found to be quite efficient for the purpose designed: it is of such a structural character as to be readily embodied in the regular equipment of the boarding table 1 and it materially speeds up productionin a plant because, as the toe-element becomes almost as hot on the holder when heated on the forms, the operator may start boarding on the forms with the interchanged too-element immediately after the replacement has been effected. Besides, the tee-elements are always ready for use whenever the requirements of the boarding operation necessitate an interchangeof these elements on the forms. In addltlomwhere an extra set or series of the toe-elements is at hand, the

holder provides a meansfor storing them in a systematic way so that the correct sizes may be selected readilywhen interchanging the toe-elements. Furthermore, the elements are, in this way, stored in a way that will preclude their becoming nicked or otherwise damaged when not in use. Another decided advantage in keeping the toe-elements hot when not in use is that this prevents tarnish ing of the nickel plated iron or aluminum elements because it keps them dry.

lVhat I claim is: a

1. A drying structure including, in combi native association, a conduit for supplying a heating medium to a series of drying forms, an element-holder on the conduit for sustaining a series of toe-elements positionable onthe forms; said holder comprising companion members encompassing the conduit; and element-attaching instrumentalities on the holder for detachably supporting the elements. 1

2. A hosiery-drying structure including, in combinative association, a toe-element for a drying-form having a shoulder on one of its faces; a support for the elementand com prising an element-sustaining member having an upstanding portion upon which the shoulder of the element rests while its face is in substantial parallelism with the outer face of the member. p

3. .A hosiery-drying structure including, in combinative association, a series of detach able toe-elements, each formed with a shouldered face and a slot; and anelemenbholding device comprising companion members, each having an upstanding element-engaging portion; means for connecting the members together; a conduit extending between and encompassed by the members; and outstand ing instrumentalities on each member for detachably'supporting a series of the toe-elements for simultaneous heating by heat transmitted froma thermal medium in the conduit.

4. As an article of manufacture, a holder for hosiery-drying toe-elements including companion members formed with a central pipe-encompassing bore, oppositely disposed element-engaging shoulders thereon, outstanding element-supporting instrumentalities, and means for holding the companion members together. I

In testimony whereof Iaflix my signature.

- THOMAS W. PROSSER, 

